From start to finish: The Apcolypse
by I am an angelbitch
Summary: Its been 4 months since Dean was dragged to Hell. Sam's AWOL & Piper is left to pick up the pieces her adopted brothers left. But what happens when Dean is mysteriously brought back from Hell. Who/what brought him back & more importantly why? And just who is Castiel & why does he keep insisting he's Piper's guardian Angel? May lead to love between Piper and Cas in later chapters.
1. Chapter 1

**Summary: Its been 4 months since Dean was dragged to Hell. Sam's AWOL & Piper is left to pick up the pieces her adopted brothers left. But what happens when Dean is mysteriously brought back from Hell. Who/what brought him back & more importantly why? And just who is Castiel & why does he keep insisting he's Piper's guardian Angel? May lead to love between Piper and Cas in later chapters. And Piper has powers of her own.**

Chapter 1 Lazarus Rising:

Piper looked at the clock in her room at Bobby's and sighed sadly to no-one in particular. It was now officially 4 months since Dean had been attacked, eventually killed and dragged to Hell by the Hellhounds. Thinking back to that day she couldn't help but think to herself if only she had realized it wasn't Ruby using the blonde chick as a host but in fact Lillith. If only they had realized it sooner and not gotten themselves trapped then maybe Dean would still be alive and Sam wouldn't have left.

Trying to control the tears she knew where coming she tried to distract herself. Distractions usually worked, at least they stopped the tears from falling and helped forget the pain if just for a little bit. She couldn't bear to think of Dean and how much he would be  
suffering in the pit right now and instead walked pulled out her keyboard she kept hidden under the bed and began to play whilst singing in her adult voice at the same time.

_Skies are crying I am watching, catching tear drops in my hands_  
_Only silence as its ending, like we never had a chance. _  
_Do you have to make me feel like, there's nothing left of me?_

_You can take everything I have, you can break everything I am_  
_Like I'm made of glass, like I'm made of paper. _  
_Go on and try to tear me down I will be rising from the ground like a skyscraper. _  
_Like a skyscraper._

Singing softly at first the letting herself go in the music. Suddenly she heard a knock at the front door and frowned, wondering who that could possibly be. Her and Bobby didn't get any visitors, why would they? Unless of course it was Sam or Dean. But Sam had disappeared not long after Dean had died and as for Dean-well. She decided to let Bobby handle it and get back to her music, at least until she heard a voice that made her freeze. She knew that voice. But it couldn't be!

Eventually heard her name being called and slowly made her way downstairs, not sure what she was expecting. She was completely shocked to see a pair of green eyes belonging to the one person she never thought she would see again. Dean. After about half an hour later after exchanging stories, Piper telling Dean what happened after he died and Dean telling her how he woke up to find himself in his coffin with no idea how he got out they made a plan to find Sam. Dean's eyes went dark when he told them Sam  
may have made a deal for him. Finding Sam was easy thanks to modern technology and Dean's detective skills also came in handy.

The disturbing things was Sam's location: It was near enough to the place Dean had been buried. During the entire driv_e _Piper had stayed silent until she had eventually fallen asleep.

The first thing Piper while coming back to consciousness was being shaken awake gently by Dean. "Wakey, wakey sleepyhead. Wake up, we're here." She started awake and found herself looking into Dean's eyes. "Where are we exactly?" she asked, as she rubbed her eyes and looked around. "Bobby's gone to see what room Sam's been using," Dean said and got out of the car. Piper grabbed her coat and followed him , suddenly feeling anxious about seeing Sam again. The night was chilly so she made sure her coat was done up, she looked up to see Dean lost in thought and was about to ask what was wrong when Bobby appeared out of the office and quickly made his way over to them and told them he was in room 207.

"Let's go then," Dean said, walking towards the room. Dean knocked on the door and was surprised when a girl with brown hair answered the door in her underwear.  
"Where is it?" the girl asked impatiently.  
"Where's what?" Dean asked confused.  
"The pizza? It takes three people to deliver it?"  
"I'm sorry, we must have the wrong room," Dean said. They were about to leave when Sam came into view. Sam was about to say something to the girl when he saw Dean. He froze and swallowed, clearly shocked. His gaze flickered from Dean to Piper and his eyes widened.  
"Hey Sammy," Dean said quietly stepping into the room, making to move towards him. Sam's eyes went cold and he went tense. Piper could see the violence in his eyes and vaguely wondered about stepping in between the two. Sam whipped out a knife and before anyone could do anything, he lunged forwards, trying to stab Dean.

Dean blocked the knife easily leaving Piper to levitate and kick Sam in the side, causing him to fall to the floor and drop the knife. Bobby was barely restraining Sam, who struggled violently, shouting at Dean, "Who the hell are you?!"

Dean was shocked. "Oh like you didn't do this?!"

"Do what?" he yelled back, trying to get out of Bobby's grip.  
"It's him Sam! It's him, I checked already its really him!" Bobby managed through gritted teeth, fighting against Sam.  
"What...?" he stuttered looking at Dean then Piper. Piper just nodded but at the same time was thinking to herself: If Sam hadn't brought Dean back, hadn't made a deal...then who did?  
"I look amazing huh?" Dean smiled. Bobby slowly let go of Sam who lunged forward and pulled Dean into a hug, which Dean returned. They gripped each other like it was the end of the world and only let go when they heard a cough from behind them.  
"So...are you like together?" asked the girl, who had up until then had been completely forgotten.  
"What?" No, no. He's my brother." he chuckled.  
"Oh...got it. Um maybe I should go," she said, turning to the door.  
"Yeah, probably a good idea," Sam said looking completely distracted and awkward. "Sorry."  
Turning around, the girl looked back at Sam and said "Call me?"  
"Yeah sure thing Kathy."  
She paused, looking disappointed. "It's Kristy."  
"Uh right," Sam said as she left and he closed the door behind her.  
"So you gonna tell me what it cost?" Dean asked as he lent against the wall, his arms folded against his chest.  
Sam smiled slightly. "What the girl? I don't pay Dean."  
Dean's face was serious as he said "That's not funny Sam." His voice hardened a bit. "To bring me back. What did it cost? Your soul or something worse?"  
Sam stopped and his eyes narrowed slightly. "You think I made deal?" he said sounding offended.  
"Well who else was it cause it wasn't me or Bobby. That leaves just you." Piper said.  
Sam glared at her. "Well I didn't."  
"Don't lie to us!" Dean said, his tone dark.  
"I'm not lying!" Sam insisted, starting to get angry.  
Dean only got angrier. "So what? I'm off the hook and now you're on, is that it? He asked walking slowly up to Sam. "You some demons bitch boy? I didn't wanna be saved like this!"  
Sam stood up. "Look, I wish it had been me, ok?!"  
Dean grabbed Sam by the front of his shirt and pulled him forwards. There's no one else that would have done it. Just tell the truth!"  
"I am telling the truth!" Sam said, his voice slowly raising. "It wasn't me! I don't know who the hell it was!"

The room fell into an awkward silence until Bobby broke it. "Well I'm happy as hell at this reunion but this raises the sticky question." He looked at Dean and continued. "If Sam didn't pull you out...who did?"  
Dean nodded tensely. "Or what?" he let out an annoyed huff. "I need some beer!" he growled.  
"There's beer in the fridge." Sam said, distracted by other things.  
"Thank god." Bobby muttered before going to get some.  
"So what were you doing if you weren't digging me out of my grave?" Dean asked Sam, sitting opposite him on the beds. Bobby handed the beers to the boys but gave a coke to Piper. He knew she didn't like beer. She took it gratefully and went and sat by the window.  
"Well once I knew I couldn't save you I started hunting down Lillith for revenge. I wanted payback." He confessed looking at them all slowly. Piper felt anger and disappointment at his actions. Feeling pissed that he had abandoned her for partly selfish reasons. He looked away guiltily.  
Piper looked hard at Sam. Something was wrong with him, something was different, she could feel it, could sense it. Instead she began to tell them everything that she had done in the last 4 months. Dean wasn't happy about hearing her hunt demons alone with no back up and was clearly pissed at Sam for leaving her.  
Piper kept getting distracted with her own thoughts. She kept thinking about how she didn't try hard enough to stop Sam during that time. _Oh well, too late now_. Looking at Sam now though, she realized that she didn't trust him. She had a feeling he was holding something back from them. Something big.  
Bobby told them how he knew a psychic that could help. Her name was Pamela and she lived  
a few hours away.  
"Maybe she could help. Maybe she's heard of something. Something this big, maybe she know  
who did it." he was saying.  
"Worth a shot. Let's go." Dean said.  
Bobby took his phone out and began to head for the door. "Back in a sec."  
Before Dean could make it out of the door, am stopped him. "Hey, what was it like?" The room went silent as they waited for Dean to answer. "What hell?" He shrugged. "Dunno, musta  
blocked it. Don't remember a thing." And with that he left the room. Sam turned to Piper.  
"Hey...Piper." He said finally.  
"Sam," She said. He frowned at her.  
"It's been 4 months. Don't you have anything else to say?"  
"Yeah, actually I do. You basically ditched me at Bobby's, didn't bother to stay in contact or anything, so yeah I am a little pissed BUT I'll admit this once cause if you mention this to anyone else, I'll gut you. I did kinda miss you.  
Sam smiled at her and pulled her into a hug. "Don't worry. You're secret is safe with me.  
Besides I don't fancy being gutted."

They reached the psychics house in the early morning. They all got out of the car and followed Bobby. Piper waited silently and Dean was always struck by how innocent and weak she could look. But in reality she was pretty powerful, especially when she used telekinesis. She was much more powerful than Sam and Dean put together. Not counting her powers she was an amazing  
fighter aswell. The best, even better than Dean and THAT was saying something considering he was thought to be best if not second best hunter. Dean would never deny Piper was the best hunter.

Dean couldn't help but stare at her sometimes. She was pretty with her child like body and Long, dark hair that reached her hips. On certain days, she would have fun freaking the boys out. On those days she would wear a long white dress (no shoes or socks) and would carefully put her hair in place so it was covering her who face. (Basically Samara from the ring lol) Then she would crawl down the stairs before very slowly standing on her feet. To top it off she would make sure she soaking wet before using her child like voice to sing.

Here we go, the world is spinning  
When it stops it's just beginning.

Sun comes up we laugh and we cry  
Sun goes down and then we all die!

Every time they heard that song they would both freak out, bump into each other while trying to escape before finally finding a hiding place. Of course it never lasted, since Bobby ALWAYS gave them away. It didn't stop them from trying though. He cleared himself from his thoughts as they headed to where Bobby was standing.


	2. Chapter 2: I am an Angel of the Lord

Chapter 2: I am an Angel of the Lord

They were welcomed into Pamela's house after being properly introduced. Pamela was a strong willed, stubborn woman who always had a smile on her face. She had dark hair, tanned skin with a tattoo that looking closely at her, would have gone unnoticed, unless you were Piper, who noticed everything around her. Of course with their lives it was always important to know everything. Less than 5 mins in,Piper realized that Pamela was a real flirt and didn't waste on time on hitting on the boys.

As Pamela set up the ritual, the others stood by watching before being called to sit at the table. "Right, now take each other's hands," She instructed. "All right," Pamela said smirking. "I need to touch something our mystery monster touched." Her eyes looking at dean slyly before slipping her hand under the table.

"Whoa! Well he didn't touch me there," Dean said, jumping slightly.

"My mistake." Pamela chuckled.

Piper's eyebrows raised a little. It was obvious just where she had touched him and she was trying not to laugh at Dean's flustered face. He slowly raised his hand to his arm and pulled the sleeve up revealing an angry looking hand print that looked burned and branded on his arm. Everyone but Pamela looked stared in shock. He hadn't mentioned this earlier. Pamela gently put her hand on the scar and closed her eyes. She began to chant

"I invoke, conjure and command you, appear unto me before this circle," she said repeating it again and again. The t.v flickered to life. "I invoke, conjure and command...Castiel? No, sorry Castiel. I don't scare easy."

"Castiel," Dean asked looking first at Pamela then at Piper. She looked at him and shrugged.

"It's name," the psychic was saying. "It's whispering to me, warning me to turn back," she said, the returned to chanting. "I conjure and command you, show me your face," she repeated again and again. The room began to shake, and the television went crazy. Sam's hand gripped. Piper's tighter. Piper had a bad feeling about this. Bobby seemed to have the same thoughts.  
"Maybe we should stop?" raising his voice so he could be heard.

"I've almost got it," Pamela said, obviously not willing to back down. "I command you, show me your face. Show me your face NOW!" she yelled.

The candles flared up and there was a bright light coming from Pamela's eyes. Pamela screamed before passing out. She woke a few seconds later sobbing. "My eyes. My eyes. I can't see!"

Call 911!

A few hours later they were in the hospital waiting for Pamela to wake up. Bobby was feeling guilty about Pamela's eyes, which were now covered up. He looked up to see Piper walking towards him.

"So what's up?" he asked as she stopped, standing next to him.

"Doctor wants to keep her in for observation."

"Yeah but will she be all right?" he asked feeling worried.

"Other than the fact that she's now blind, she's fine." She replied. "And before you say it's your fault, it's not. It's that guy Castiel's fault. He's the one who burned her eyes out." She said, gripping his arm gently.

"But I shouldn't have gotten her involved in the first place," Bobby began.

"Look at the bright side. She's alive, isn't she?"

"I suppose," he muttered.

"Okay. Well I'm sure Dean's gonna call soon telling me to get back, so I'm gonna go. Call me if you need anything, yeah?" She asked.

"Yeah, okay. But be careful, kay?

"Bobby, we both know I can protect myself."

Bobby didn't doubt it.

Piper woke up to Dean's screams. Running into his room, she stopped. There was glass everywhere and Dean was kneeling in the middle of it, clutching his bleeding ears. She ran towards him, terrified. Oh my god. Suddenly she heard a voice inside her head.  
"Who are you?" She asked.

"My name is Castiel." the voice replied.

"What the hell did you do to Dean?" she snapped.

"I thought he would be one of the special ones that could understand me, but I was wrong. I am sorry." The voice said gently, calming her.

"What do you mean 'special'," she asked, curiously. "And how comes I can understand you?"

"You're special, Piper. Anyway I don't have to long. I need you to tell Dean to meet me."

"Ah hell no am I doing that!" she snapped again.

"If you want, you can come too." the voice said to her.

"Fine. Tell me where."

Driving down the road, Bobby couldn't help but look back every now and then to check they weren't being followed.

"Yeah, catch you later," Dean said, talking to Sam on the phone. "Says he went to get some food." He said, snapping the phone shut and putting it away.  
"Yeah right," Piper muttered under her breath. Dean glanced at her and frowned but didn't say anything.

"So why did ya lie about what we were doing again?" She asked, trying to change the subject.

"Cause he'd try and stop us, that's why."

"And what are we doing exactly?" Bobby said, tensely.  
"Well Castiel told me he wanted to talk to Dean. So we're gonna go find out what he is and if we have to, kill him." She said.

"And you agreed? You wanna go after him after what he did to Pamela?" He said shaking his head in disbelief.

"Whatever he is, it's after me. We need to face this now, Bobby."

"You can't be serious?"

"As a heart-attack." Dean confirmed. "Think about it we have everything we need to kill it and if all else fails and push comes to shove, we have Piper to back us up. Right Piper?"

"Right." She confirmed.

"Damn idjits," Bobby sighed heavily. "Fine, let's do this."

**A few hours later**

After finally finishing with the wards and symbols, Piper got up from where she was crouching and moved t stand next to Bobby. She looked around, proud at their handy work. They were in an abandoned warehouse and they had covered the entire building in specific  
traps for every thing they could ever think of.

"You two done?" Dean called.

"Yeah, we're done." Bobby called back. "I still think this a bad idea though."

"Heard you the first few hundred times," Dean said, not wanting to change his mind.

Bobby walked over to the table and began to chant in Latin. Piper sat down, making herself comfortable. She wasn't scared. If it came down to it she could protect all three of them.

**About 20 mins later**

So far there hadn't been any sign of Castiel. Piper was starting to worry. Beside her, Dean sat playing with his knife. He looked at bobby and said "You sure you did it right?" Bobby just looked at him incredulously.

"Sorry. Touchy, touchy huh?"

Suddenly, the roof began rattling, and the building began to feel it might collapse. Getting to their feet, Dean and Bobby looked at each other then at the door. Piper stayed sitting down, waiting to see if she would be needed. Dean and Bobby held their shotguns.

"Wishful thinking, maybe it's just the wind?"

The barn doors were banging now. A second later, with a shower of sparks, they slammed open followed by a man in a trench coat. The man walked slowly into the barn, looking around with an emotionless expression. Even from where she was sitting, Piper could see his face._ He's drop dead gorgeou_s she thought before shaking her head.

The man was average built, dressed as a tax accountant with dark brown hair and blue eyes. He walked towards them stiffly. Dean and Bobby shooting at him, not that it made a difference, bullets weren't working.

"Blade!" Dean commanded and she handed it to him. The man stopped in front f Dean, his face calm yet blank. His face turned to her's, his eyes boring into her. She didn't mind that she felt he could see into her. It's not like she couldn't block him if she wanted to. She could tell he was curious about her but let his gaze turn back to Dean.

"Who are you?" Dean demanded. There was a pause.

"I'm the one who gripped you tight and raised you from perdition," the man replied. His voice was shockingly deep and husky but filled with power and authority.

"Yeah? Well thanks for that," Dean said. The man nodded slightly with a small smile. Then without any warning, Dean lunged forwards and stabbed him in the chest. Only...nothing happened. The man looked down at the knife before looking back at Dean and not taking his eyes off of him, he reached for the knife and pulled it out, letting it drop to the floor, looking amused and unconcerned.

He glanced at Piper who nodded knowingly at him. She had a feeling it wouldn't work but she wasn't gonna step in until they needed her. Bobby, who had crept back silently, had grabbed a crowbar and raised it high, but without even looking, the man grabbed the weapon before it managed to hit him. Turning to face Bobby, he touched his forehead with two fingers, effectively knocking him out.

Piper got up. Dean looked at her as if to say go for it. The man turned to face her, he smiled slightly at her. "You _really_ didn't wanna do that," she said darkly. She raised her hand, preparing to throw him across the wall but he disappeared and reappeared in front of her. He grabbed her wrist gently, looking into her eyes before he said,

"There is no need to worry. I know you are powerful and only want to defend them but I am not here to harm them. Especially not you." He whispered the last part to her, one hand slowly but gently stroking her cheek.

Piper slowly let her hand fall, not taking her eyes off of him. He didn't seem to mind, in fact, he seemed happy to have her attention before letting go of her wrist, content that she wouldn't try anything. He knew how powerful she was, knew about her powers and what she could-would do with them. All Dean could do was stare at them. "You're friend is alive," he said, looking at Bobby's books.

"Who are you?" Dean tried again. The man looked up. "Castiel."

"Yeah, I figured that much, I mean what are you?"Castiel fixed his attention on Dean and walked up to him. "I'm an Angel of the Lord," he said.

"Get the hell outta here. There's no such thing," he spat out. He turned to Piper. "Do you believe this?" He asked.

"It's possible," she said calmly.

Dean scoffed. "This is your problem Dean. You have no faith." Castiel drew in a deep breath and the barn was lit up with a flash of lightening a a shadow of a pair of huge wings lit up on the wall behind him. He looked at Piper, seemingly wanting to see what her reaction would be. Piper smiled. The lightening stopped and the shadow disappeared. There was a moment of silence.

Dean glared at him. "Some Angel you are. You burned out that poor woman's eyes!"

Castiel looked down. "I warned her not to spy on my true form. It can be overwhelming to humans. So can my real voice, but you already knew that.

"You mean at the gas station and Motel. That was you talking?" Castiel nodded. "Buddy, next time lower the volume."

"That was my mistake," Castiel said. "Certain people, special people can perceive my true visage. I thought you would be one of them. I was wrong."

Dean narrowed his eyes and glanced at Piper. "But she can?" he asked.

"Yes. She's special."

"Okay, and what visage are you in now, huh?" Dean asked sarcastically. "What, holy tax accountant?"

Castiel looked down at himself. "This? This is a...vessel."

"You're possessing some poor bastard?" disbelief flooding Dean's face.

"He's a devout man." Obviously referring to the man he was wearing. "He actually prayed for this."

_Why the hell would some guy pray to be a walking talking condom?_ Dean thought.

Piper slapped him and glared. "Dean, I can read you're mind ya know. I know exactly what you're thinking. Cut it out!" She scolded.

Dean looked at her sheepishly. "Sorry Piper."

Castiel gave her a grateful smile.

Dean looked at Castiel. "Sorry but I'm not buying what you're selling, so who are you really?"Dean demanded, angrily.

"I told you," Castiel said simply. He glanced at Piper and gave her a look that said is he always like this? She tried not to laugh but nodded instead.

"And why would an Angel rescue me from Hell?"  
"Good things do happen Dean."  
"Not in my experience," Dean said shakily.

"What's the matter?" Castiel said, tilting his head. His eyes narrowed then widened a bit, as if he had figured it out. His expression changed and understanding flickered across his face. "You don't think you deserve to be saved."

Surprise flashed across Dean's face at Castiel's statement, before his face went blank. Of course Piper didn't blame Dean for what happened in Hell. Of course she thought he deserved to be saved but she knew he didn't-wouldn't believe it.

"Why'd ya do it?" he wanted to know.

Castiel was quiet for a moment, eyes narrowed slightly, head tilted before replying "Because God commanded it. Because we have work for you." He seemed to hear a sound and looked at them both before announcing he had to go. "I'll see you again soon." He took one last look at Piper, nodded his head at her he walked up to her and once again placed his hand on her cheek.

"You too. Call my name if you need me," he whispered to her. She nodded back, shyly. And with a flap of what could be his wings, he disappeared.

On the floor, Bobby was moaning as he slowly came back to consciousness. "What did I miss?" He groaned.

"Apparently, you were touched by an Angel."

Bobby stared at him. "Huh?"


	3. Chapter 3: Rising of the witnesses

Chapter 3: Rising of the witnesses

After the meeting with Castiel, Dean had decided it was best if they met with Sam and stayed at Bobby's for a while. Bobby had made himself busy by translating anything he could find. Dean was outside fixing his car and Piper was sitting next to Sam on the couch. Sam  
was clearly getting bored doing nothing. Piper was busy trying to focus her emotions which were tied to her powers.

"Hey, Piper?" Sam said, turning to face her. She had her eyes closed but when he said her name she turned to look at him, interested in what he was gonna say.

"Yeah," she asked.

"How powerful are you exactly? I mean, can you do something right now?"

"Like what?"

"Anything, I don't care. Telekinesis." He said looking around, searching for an object that she could pick up with her mind. He spotted his laptop on the bed. He pointed to it and said "Why don't you pick up my laptop? It's over there, on the bed."

She looked over to where he was pointing and saw the laptop. She stood up and raised her hand at the laptop. She concentrated and a second later the laptop was hanging in the air.

"How about picking up more than one object? Can you do that?" He asked.

"Yes," she said. She lowered her hand but instead of dropping, the laptop stayed in the air. She turned her gaze to smaller things, such as a book, a phone and a set of car keys. She moved two fingers in a circular motion and the objects slowly began to spin around. Unknown to them, Castiel was invisible and watching the scene with pride. He wasn't supposed to feel emotions but he did. And in that moment in time he was proud of her.

He was fascinated by the girl, in truth he wanted to see what else she could do, how far she could go. He smiled, he was happy knowing that she was getting stronger everyday. He wasn't just interested in her powers though, no, he was interested in her. She was beautiful for a human, kind, caring and definitely compassionate when it comes to others. He loved that she was always willing to help save others or just help them generally.

Suddenly, he frowned, hearing a voice calling for him. It was his superior. Apparently he was needed in battle. With a last look at her, he disappeared, content with the knowledge that he would see her again soon.

Bobby wasn't happy. First he'd had Dean complaining, telling them he didn't believe in Angels.  
"Well?" Dean asked, impatiently pacing the room.  
"All it says is an Angel can snatch a soul from the pit," Bobby said, reading from a book.  
"What else?"  
"What else what?" Bobby looked at him testily.  
"What else could do it?" He asked, not wanting to believe in Angels or God.  
"Airlift your ass from the box? As far as I can tell nothing."

He had looked in some books to see if anything else could have brought him back but so far nothing. He then heard Sam asking Piper about her powers, wanting her to do something. He had to admit he liked watching her use them. He stood by the door, looking on as the objects had been thrown into the air. He was at least happy that she seemed in control of them, so with that in mind he went to call on a hunter friend, Olivia.

Only Olivia wasn't answering the phone and he was starting to get seriously worried. He contemplated sending Piper to see if she was alright but dismissed that thought. He loved the girl dearly like she was his own flesh and blood daughter and he didn't want to send her out on her own. Even if she had powers and could protect herself. He swore softly, which caught their attention. "Damn it! She still won't answer." He said, ending the call.

"Who?" Piper asked curiously.

"Olivia. She's a friend of mine, and a hunter. Lives one state over and I've been trying to get a hold of her, she might know something about Angels but she's not answering and I'm really worried. It's not like her to not call me back."

"Think she's in trouble?" Dean asked, interested.

"Yeah, I think we should check on her," he said, standing up restlessly.

"We'll come with ya," she said, smiling at him.

Dean was already up and heading for the door. "Let's go."

**Couple hours later**

"Olivia?" Bobby called out, they had arrived at Olivia's.

"Olivia?" Dean said as they walked through the house. Dean went to check upstairs, Bobby and Sam in the kitchen while Piper went to check the living room. She froze. She sighed sadly to herself. Olivia was laying on the floor surrounded by a broken salt circle. Her chest was ripped open. She was clearly dead.

"Bobby? Bobby!" she yelled. A second later, Bobby came rushing in. He was confused at why she had called him, she pointed at Olivia and he froze in shock.

"Piper...? Can't...you?" he struggled to say. Piper walked up to Olivia's mangled body, bent down and carefully put her hand on the dead woman's chest. She concentrated, thoughtfully, the others waiting for her verdict. She opened her eyes, her face in a blank expression, and slowly got up to her feet. She tilted her head, looking at the body before turning her gaze to Bobby. By now Dean and Sam had been in the room a good 5 mins and were watching.

They waited patiently, and when she nodded her head slightly at Bobby, he collapsed in a sitting position.

"I'm sorry Bobby, there's nothing I can do," she whispered.  
She walked back to the body, bending down to close her eyes.  
"Rest in peace Olivia," she said quietly.  
30 mins later, the hunters had everything set up, ready to give her a hunters funeral. They only stuck around to make sure nothing went wrong before heading back to Bobby's in silence.

Piper was growing bored and restless waiting for the boys to come back, they had split up to see if the other hunters were all right, but she had elected to remain behind telling them it would be a lot quicker if they went by themselves. Piper's thoughts went back to Castiel, and she wondered where he was and what he was doing, when suddenly, there was a gust of cold air and a sound of wings filled the room.  
_Speak of the devil_ she thought, looking up to see the man plaguing her thoughts. She smiled at him and he shyly returned the smile back and went to carefully sit on the bed next to her. He reached his hand out to her slowly, as if he were afraid she was flinch away, before he began softly stroking her long, dark hair.  
"I brought you something," he said, pulling out a small box from his coat pocket and handing it to her. She took it, looking at him then the box curiously.  
"Open it," he gestured at the box. He watched her intensly, waiting for her to open it. She carefully undid the ribbon around the box and opened it. And gasped. Inside was the most beautiful blue crystal bracelet ever. He waited to see what she would say, he hoped she liked it, he thought it would be perfect for her and hoped with everything he had that she would wear it.

She was speechless, she looked up at him, and before he knew it, she put the bracelet gently on the bed and jumped up, putting her arms around his neck. He stood awkwardly for a few seconds, not entirely sure what to do, eventually wrapping his arms around her waist, happy to be close to her and even more happy they were hugging. He never wanted to let go of her. He didn't completely understand every emotion he was feeling but right at that moment it didn't  
matter.  
"Thank you, Castiel. It's really, really beautiful."  
He pulled away slightly so he could look into her eyes. "You're welcome. I hope you will wear it and never take it off," he said quietly.  
Her eyes positively lit up, and he thought she was even more perfect. "Of course I will," she replied almost immediately. He watched as she picked up the bracelet from the bed and carefully put it on. She held up her wrist so he could see it.  
"I have to go now, but I'll see you soon," he said.  
"Okay, I'll see you later then," she said, nodding at him and smiling. That's another thing he liked about her, her smile was amazing. He nodded back then disappeared.

Piper felt sick when the hunters had returned, telling her they had ran into the ghosts of special agent Victor Henrickson, who was hell bent on getting revenge for his death. He had apparently attacked Sam in the bathroom when they stopped at the gas station. Luckily, Dean had managed to save Sam in time, effectively getting rid of his spirit with rock salt. It wouldn't destroy them but it would slow them down, enough to buy some time anyway.

They needed to go to the only safe place they knew of; Bobby. Dean still refused to believe in God because he felt that if he did exist, then he didn't care. Suddenly, Bobby is attacked by the spirits of two little girls. Hi eyes widened in horror as he seemed to recognize them. They accuse him of failing to save them from the monster that ate them up before disappearing with him.

"Sonofabitch!" Dean yelled as he ran towards the door, followed by Sam then Piper.  
"Okay, we need to split up and find him now!" Sam said urgently to them.

Dean decided to search the building, holding his shotgun close. Unaware, the ghost of Meg Masters appears behind him.  
"Hello, Dean," she said.  
Dean looks at her confused, not really recognizing her.  
"You don't recognize me? This is what I looked like before that demon cut off my hair and dressed me like a slut." She asks him. His eyes widened in shock . Now he recognized her, she was the girl the demon possessed a few years ago. Unfortunately, the demon got knocked out of the window of a very high building, meaning that the only thing keeping her alive was the  
demon. If they exorcised the demon she would die. There was no doubt about it, the fall had broken every bone in her body. At the time Dean only cared about getting the demon out and the location of his dad. He made Sam finish the spell, expelling the demon, leaving a dying girl. Thinking back now, Dean regretted doing that. He had been selfish and she had paid the price.

He listened as she told him how her life had been before, during and after the possession. He felt even more guilty when to told him the effect her death had on her sister, who committed suicide after Meg was found dead, kicking Dean viciously to the looks up to see a chandelier hanging above Meg.

It was made of iron, so grabbing his gun he fired at it bringing it raining down on Meg, who disappeared.

**Meanwhile**

Sam was busy searching outside among the cars, searching for Bobby.  
"Bobby? Bobby!" Sam called out. Nearby, in a truck, the girls had Bobby pinned down, a hand was covering his mouth so he couldn't call out for help. fortunately, Sam looked up into an old car's mirror and saw what was happening, launching himself at the car in a desperate attempt to save him. It worked.

Sam managed to find a rusty iron pole and swung it at one of the spirits making it disappear. While the other one was distracted, Bobby grabbed an iron crowbar and swings it at the other girl. Bobby decides the only safe place would be the newly made panic room he had made during a weekend. He tells them the panic room is coated and covered in iron and salt to keep spirits and demons out.

The floor was covered in warding symbols in the form of a devil's trap. In the middle of the room lay a single bed. The room was stocked with supplies and equipment. According to Bobby's research and Sam and Dean's confirmation that each of the spirits had a brand on they're wrists, they were soon identified as The Witnesses, which was a sign of the Apocalypse. They find a spell to put the spirits to rest but the only problem was it had to be completed over an open fire, meaning they would have to leave the safety of the panic room to do so.

"I think we've got everything we need in the house," he said.  
"Great, any chance you got everything we need in this room?" He asked.  
"So you thought our luck was gonna start now, all of a sudden?" Bobby said sarcastically. Piper couldn't stop herself from laughing. They all agreed to stay together, making sure it was safe to leave.

Before they can climb the stairs to get to the library, they meet the spirit of Ronald, someone they met before Dean went to hell. He had died trying to stop shifter. The ghost looked up, glaring at them, pointing his finger at Dean and Sam, blaming them for his  
death.  
"Ronald. Hey, c'mon, man. I thought we were pals," he said nervously.  
"That's when I was breathing. Now, I'm gonna eat you alive!" He snarled.  
The ghost made to launch itself at Dean, but before it could move an inch it was thrown back against a wall. Dean whipped around to see Piper, he hand held up, a cold expression on her face.  
"Thanks," he aid gratefully, giving her a smile. She smiled back.  
"No problem," she said as she walked past him. Making it to the library successfully in one piece, Bobby begins preparing the spell. He sends Sam upstairs to get a hex box, and Dean to the kitchen to get ingredients for the spell. Piper stayed close to Bobby. She wondered what was taking Sam so long, she hesitated before heading upstairs to look for him. She froze.

Sam was talking to Meg's ghost. She thought about revealing herself and shooting Meg but what she said next made her blood run cold. She was talking about Sam and what he had been doing recently with...the demon Ruby?  
She was so shocked. What the hell? He told us that bitch was dead! she thought angrily. She was pissed. She looked up in time to see Sam dispel Meg and hid herself in the shadows so he wouldn't see her. She watched him walk right past her, back downstairs.

Dean, meanwhile, was in the kitchen. Suddenly, the doors to the kitchen slam shut.  
"Dean?" Bobby calls, worriedly.  
"I'm fine, Bobby! Keep working!" he calls back.  
Dean jumps when Henrikson appears next him.  
"Victor," he said.  
"Dean," he greets.  
"I know," he starts.  
"No. You don't." He interrupts.  
"It's my fault you're dead. I left you behind. The minute I heard about that explosion, I thought, _'I should have known'_. I should have protected you." He said, trying to stall. He reaches for his gun but goes flying across the room.  
"uh uh. Not so fast. You think you left and Lillith came and we all died in a beautiful blast of white light? If only. 45."  
Dean frowns, not understanding what he meant when he said 45. "What?" He asked.  
"45 minutes. Lillith said she wanted to have some fun. The secretary was first. Remember her? Nancy? Lillith flayed Nancy's skin off piece by piece. Right in front of us, made us watch. Nancy never stopped screaming."  
"No," Dean breathed.  
"I was the last."  
"Victor..." Dean starts, but before he can say another word, Henrikson shoves his hand through  
Dean's chest and grips his heart.  
"Tell me, how is it fair? You get saved from hell-I die. Why do you deserve another chance Dean?" He asks. Dean can barely breathe. Suddenly, he didn't feel any pain, looking around, he see's Sam with a shotgun.  
"You alright?" He said, running over to see his injuries. They take the necessary stuff back to the library where Bobby and Piper were waiting. Of course the spirits would all start to show up now, one by one. They hear Bobby begin to chant in Latin, the windows all blowing open destroying the salt circle, leaving them defenseless.

Meg appears in front of Sam and he quickly shoots her. Ronald is next to appear, Piper easily threw him against the wall with a wave of  
her hand. She looks over at Dean. Henrikson had thrown his gun across the room, Piper was about to raise her hand, when she was thrown against the wall. She tried to get up but was kicked back down by one of the little girls. She gasped in pain, her chest and ribs were killing her.

"Piper," Dean yells, grabbing another gun and shooting the ghost before it could do anymore harm.

Meg threw Sam against the wall, trapping him there with a desk. He tried to push the desk away, only to see the two children holding it in place.

"Sam!" Dean said.  
"Cover Bobby!" he yells back.  
Bobby continues with the spell while Sam tries unsuccessfully to remove the desk. The two girls were sitting on the desk, waiting. Suddenly, Bobby cries out in agony. Dean whirls around to see Meg's arm plunged in Bobby's chest. He drops the bowl with the spell contents but Dean catches it in the nick of time.

"Dean," Bobby cries out. !In the fireplace!  
Dean throws the contents into the fireplace and the spirits vanish. Bobby falls to the ground. Sam pushes the desk away, freeing himself. He goes to help Piper.  
"Bobby? You okay?" he asks, concerned.  
He nods, indicating he is okay.

That night, Dean wakes up to see Castiel standing in the kitchen. Dean checks to see if Sam is still asleep then makes his way to join him.  
"Excellent job with the witnesses," he said.  
"You were hip to all this?" he asked, pissed.  
"I was, uh, made aware,"  
Dean was about to respond with a sarcastic comment but stopped when he saw Piper.  
"Guy's keep it down," she coughed, a little irritated at being woken up.  
"Sorry," Dean said.  
She coughed again. Castiel looked at her, worried. When she stopped, Dean grabbed her hand, the one she had coughed into and held it up so he could check it. He was shocked to see blood.  
"What?" She asked, annoyed.  
"What the hell?" He snapped at her. She looked away, he pulled her closer into the light, so he could see her face. She had blood on her lips. Castiel looked alarmed at the blood and grabbed her hand, pressing two fingers to her forehead. In a second, she was completely healed, and she felt so much better.

She turned to face him, wrapping her arms around his neck, she kissed him on the cheek.  
"Thank you," she whispered in his ear. "Oh, and just so you know, I'm still wearing that bracelet you gave me."  
He looked pleased at that last statement. Dean looked shocked but didn't comment on it.  
"Anyway, as I was saying. Thanks for the angelic assistance. You know, I almost got my heart ripped out of my chest."  
"But you didn't," Castiel replied.  
"I thought Angels were supposed to be guardians. Fluffy wings, halo's-Ya know, Michael  
Landon, not dicks!"  
"Read the bible. Angels are warrior's of God. I'm a soldier."  
"Yeah, well then why didn't you fight?" He asked, rudely.  
"I'm not here to perch on your shoulder. We had larger concerns,"  
"Concern's, what kind of concerns?" Piper asked, curiously.  
He glanced at her before Dean snapped out "There were people getting torn to shreds down here! And by the way, while this is all going on, where the hell is your boss, huh? If there is a God."  
"There's a God,"  
"I'm not convinced. 'Cause if there's a God, what the hell is he waiting for, huh? Genocide? Monsters roaming the earth? The freaking apocalypse? At what point does he lift a damn finger and help the poor bastards that are stuck down here?"  
"The lord works..."  
"If you say "mysterious ways," so help me, I will kick your ass."  
There was a pause. Piper shot Castiel an apologetic look.  
"So, Bobby was right... about the witnesses. This is some kind of a... sign of the apocalypse."  
"That's why we're here. Big things afoot."  
"Do I wanna know what kind of things?" He asked, reluctantly.  
"I sincerely doubt it, but you need to know. The rising of the witnesses is one of the 66 seals."  
"Okay. I'm guessing that's not a show at Seaworld."  
"Oh my God, Dean. Shut up!" Piper snapped at him.  
He glared at her for a second before turning his head away.  
"Those seals are being broken by Lilith."  
"She did the spell. She rose the witnesses," he realized.  
"Mm-hmm. And not just here. 20 other hunters are dead."  
"Of course. She picked victims that the hunters couldn't save so that they would barrel right  
after us," he sighed.  
"Lilith has a certain sense of humor." Castiel agreed.  
"Well, we put those spirits back to rest," Piper told him.  
"It doesn't matter. The seal was broken."  
"Why break the seal anyway?" Dean wanted to know.  
"You think of the seals as locks on a door."  
Okay, now it's getting interesting Dean thought.  
"Okay. Last one opens and...?"  
Castiel paused for a second, before turning to face Dean.  
"Lucifer walks free."  
Dean stared at him.  
"Lucifer? But I thought Lucifer was just a story they told at demon Sunday school. There's no such thing."  
"Three days ago, you thought there was no such thing as me. Why do you think we're here walking among you now for the first time in 2,000 years?"  
"To stop Lucifer," Dean breathed. Castiel nodded.  
"That's why we've arrived," he stated, quietly.  
"Well... bang-up job so far. Stellar work with the witnesses. That's nice."

Piper could tell the Angel was getting pissed at Dean's attitude, and to be honest, so was she.

"We tried. And there are other battles, other seals. Some we'll win, some we'll lose. This one we lost," Castiel's eyes narrowed when Dean scoffed. "Our numbers are not unlimited. Six of my brothers died in the field this week. You think the armies of Heaven should just follow you around? There's a bigger picture here. You should show me some respect. I dragged you out of Hell. I can throw you back in," He growled. And with that, he vanished. Piper was shocked, but in all fairness Dean was being an asshole.


End file.
